When people think about the major sports leagues in America, they naturally gravitate towards a select few: the NBA (basketball), the NFL (football), and the MLB (baseball). The MLS though, America’s premier league for soccer, rarely comes up in such conversations. Considering soccer’s global popularity as well as its booming popularity in the United States, especially in big market sports cities, this is surprising, but understandable when further context is given. Compared to other major sports leagues, all of which have storied histories, the MLS is relatively new, celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year. Despite having attracted some of the sport’s biggest stars like David Beckham and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the MLS is still viewed in a negative light by a majority of international fans. “It’s a league for, dare I say, washed up players. For European players who want to go to America for the lifestyle, with their families, at the end of their career,” Chris Sutton, a British soccer pundit, said. 

This year, Lionel Messi, a player many consider to be the GOAT, took his talents to America and signed for Inter Miami, an acquisition that has already made massive waves in the MLS. Prior to coming over to the United States, the Argentine star played for some of Europe’s most prestigious teams including PSG and FC Barcelona, winning countless league titles and Champions League trophies, breaking numerous scoring and assist records, and claiming international championships in both the World Cup and Copa America. Now, with the addition of Messi, Inter Miami has gone from arguably the worst team in MLS history to being unbeaten in 11 games, winning 10 of those. In that unbeaten run, Messi has directly contributed to 19 goals, scoring 11 goals and assisting 8 of them as well. In addition, under his leadership, Inter Miami has also won the League Cup, beating Nashville SC in a thrilling penalty shootout 10 to  9. 

Messi’s arrival and success in the MLS has brought both positive and negative attention to the league. As a result of his popularity, the average price of tickets for Inter Miami’s most recent league game against LAFC was $690, the highest by far in MLS history. With his presence and endorsement of American soccer, more international stars are more willing to jump ship to the MLS in their primes, raising the status of the league on a world scale. However, Messi’s instantaneous domination has added fuel to the “washed up league” sentiment amongst soccer purists. 

So what lies in the future for soccer in the United States? Soccer has gained popularity in the United States at the youth level and will continue to grow at a rapid rate. This unprecedented growth in the sport will most definitely result in an increased level of competition in both professional and recreational leagues, which could lead to the emergence of the United States as a powerhouse on the international stage.